Pest program
Washington has long had an apple maggot quarantine in place in several counties to control the spread of apple maggot into pest-free areas of the state. After months of meetings and consultation with numerous partners in the tree fruit industry, the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) is proposing to add soil and growing medium to the list of apple maggot quarantine regulated materials.
The rule change would regulate the movement of soil and growing medium, in pots or root balls of both plants that can host apple maggot and some non-host plants.
Under the proposal, plants with soil that originate from a quarantined area must have a phytosanitary certificate stating the following if they will be moved out of the quarantined area:
Host Plants (Apple, crabapple, hawthorn, cherry, pear, plum, prune, and quince)
- Have not produced fruit and were not located in the drip line of host plants that have fruited or
- Originated in an area where apple maggot is not considered established based on official trapping surveys or
- Had soil or growing medium treated with an appropriate pesticide treatment just prior to shipping.
 |
| Click on the image for a larger version. |
Non-host plants grown within the drip line of fruiting host plants in the quarantine area
- Originated in an area where apple maggot is not considered established based on official trapping surveys or
- Had soil or growing medium treated with an appropriate pesticide treatment just prior to shipping.
 |
| Click on the image for a larger version. |
As a reminder, moving fruit attached to host plants is already prohibited under the apple maggot quarantine.
The following remain unregulated, even under the proposed rule change:
- Bare root plants (host and non-host) – host plants cannot have fruit attached
- Plants (host and non-host) originating from the WSDA pest-free area
- Non-host plants that were not grown in the drip line of fruiting host plants
The rule change was first suggested by the Washington State Tree Fruit Association after WSDA trapping discovered that apple maggot had likely been moved into the pest-free area in the soil of a potted nursery fruit tree. WSDA identified soil on nursery plants as a probable pathway for the introduction of apple maggot into pest-free areas.
Public hearings for the rule change are expected to take place sometime in January, with exact dates to be determined.
WSDA is currently developing a Small Business Economic Impact Statement (SBEIS) to determine what economic impact this rule change may have on small businesses. The results of the SBEIS will be made public with the filing of the CR-102. Visit agr.wa.gov/Services/Rulemaking for more information on WSDA rulemaking activity or to view the CR-101.
Visit agr.wa.gov/applemaggot to stay informed about this rule change and other apple maggot quarantine issues.